An Islamic armed group in Iraq has announced a $10 million bounty for killing US President Donald Trump. The group called Donald Trump arrogant and aggressive, saying the reward on his head is a response to recent American actions. The announcement comes as military tensions between the United States and Iran keep escalating, pushing West Asia once again toward the brink of a larger war.
What the statement says
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq opened its statement with the religious invocation, in the name of Allah, the most merciful, the most compassionate. It went on to say that the clearest proof of the moral collapse of the American administration is that criminal Donald Trump, in his arrogance and aggression, is targeting martyred commanders Haji Qasem Soleimani and Haji Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. The statement included a prayer for both commanders, asking that Allah be pleased with them, and said the resistance has responded to this impure step with honor and pride, and will keep doing so for life.
Terms of the $10 million bounty
The group stated plainly that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has placed a $10 million reward on the head of criminal Donald Trump. It warned that whoever spilled Iraqi blood and made Iraqis homeless, or targeted their leaders, or killed their children, or harmed their scholars, will never be allowed to live in peace by the free people of the world. The statement added that Donald Trump will get nothing from the group but humiliation. Swearing by the martyrs and mujahideen, the group declared it will shake the thrones of the attackers until the tyrant's forts collapse.
More than 35 killed in US airstrikes so far
Meanwhile, the military confrontation between the United States and Iran keeps intensifying. Days of retaliatory strikes between the two countries in West Asia, along with rising tension over the Strait of Hormuz, have nearly wrecked the interim agreement reached to halt the war. That has raised the risk of a bigger war across the region once again. According to Iranian officials, recent US airstrikes have killed more than 35 people so far, while over 300 others have been injured. Those numbers show that the confrontation between the two countries is no longer limited to statements, it is now having a major impact on the ground.
White House response and warning to Iran
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that she had spoken with President Donald Trump just an hour earlier. She said Iran keeps talking to the US and signaling that it wants a deal, because it is suffering heavy losses from the US military. Leavitt said the recent attacks over the past few days came about because Iran violated a memorandum of understanding it had with the US, one that required Iran not to fire on commercial vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz. She said Iran unfortunately made the decision to do so anyway. Leavitt added that President Trump will not sit quietly and allow these acts of terrorism in the Strait of Hormuz to continue, and will make sure Iran is punished for it, saying that is exactly what is being seen now.
Tension rising on two fronts
Taken together, an armed group in Iraq has issued a direct threat by putting a bounty on Donald Trump's head, while the US-Iran military confrontation is reaching new levels every day. The Strait of Hormuz, a key route for commercial shipping, is seeing rising tension, and the near collapse of the interim agreement suggests the situation in West Asia could worsen further in the coming days.
